There are many reasons to eat organic food, whether it is to help protect the environment, change our relationship with food or anchor ourselves in our territory.
To protect the environment
By consuming food products from organic farming, you contribute to the protection of the environment, because these foods are produced according to practices that respect natural resources and heritage:
Earth
Maintenance of soil fertility and structure through appropriate practices: rotation, green manures, natural amendments.
Preservation of life in the soil: no use of chemicals.
The water
- Limitation of runoff: improvement of the soil structure, establishment of hedges.
- Preservation of quality: no use of chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, etc.).
The biodiversity
- Conservation of genetic biodiversity of cultivated plants
- Preservation of flora and wild fauna to create natural balances between auxiliaries and pests.
Energy
- Lower indirect energy consumption: ban on expensive fossil fuel chemicals.
- Privileged local marketing: reduction of storage and transport costs.
The landscape
- Diversity of cultures,
- Creation and maintenance of hedges, meadows, natural rivers
- To change our relationship to food
Eating organic means diversifying your diet and rediscovering the taste of food by consuming:
Cereals: there are many, with varied flavors. In association with legumes, they are a source of protein
Seasonal vegetables: there is a wide variety of “forgotten” or “old” vegetables, such as the different kinds of squash, zucchini or tomatoes, but also parsnips and parsley. Cooking these seasonal vegetables allows you to rediscover their true taste and breaks the monotony of the dishes which can sometimes encourage you to want to eat tomatoes in winter.
Meat: the method of breeding in organic agriculture (breeding of breeds adapted to the territory, moderate growth and respect for animal welfare) guarantees the consumer a quality meat.
Eating organic means giving food back its place in everyday life
Buying local organic products gives food another value: we know who produced it. Cooking fresh organic products means giving yourself the time to discover new ingredients and new recipes. It is (re) discovering the pleasure of cooking and tasting what we have prepared. In short, it’s a creative, gourmet and convivial moment! Using organic products is important in those cases.
To anchor in the territory
Sourcing locally: supporting the local economy
Local supply makes it possible to reduce distribution costs, create direct links between producers and consumers, maintain small farms and support the local economy. Organic farms employ 60% more labor than traditional agricultural structures, and for longer periods. The organic sector promotes the development of local processing, artisanal and industrial structures, which are supplied with organic raw materials from local producers. Organic farms are agricultural structures on a human scale, which allow the survival of small, easily transmissible farms.
Really more expensive?
The answer to the question is: yes if we just look at the prices indicated on the labels.
But, if we scratch the surface of this evidence, the answer becomes more complex.
Organic and other branded products
Like all labeled products, certified organic products are more expensive than non-labeled foods. This is explained by the production conditions which meet the requirements of the specifications of the labels, which guarantee superior quality to the consumer.
